Article from Korea.com
The latest trend clearly shows that
singers have to appear on variety shows to gain popularity. Such a trend
as this has been bitterly criticized on the grounds that the music
industry and TV variety shows have developed a sort of back-scratching
relationship. In this environment, however, we can see a few ‘idol’
singers who seem to have the courage to keep themselves off the shows
that hardly have anything to do with music.
2NE1
It’s not easy for singers, even those
belonging to a giant agency, to gain popularity without appearing on
variety shows. 2NE1, however, have the remarkable record of dominating
music rankings five times in a row without appearing on TV variety
shows.
2NE1 has dominated music-download sites
with almost all of the songs from this year’s album: “Don’t Cry,”
“Lonely,” “I’m the Best,” “Hate You,” and “Ugly.” Of course, it’s hard
to deny that the group’s giant agency has given trusted support, but
without the members’ efforts and music abilities, the achievement would
have been impossible. This is what differentiates them from other girl
groups.
Infinite
This seven-boy group gained the nickname of “trend-leading idols” by ranking top two weeks in a row on music shows in a year when it came out with its new album Be Mine.
This seven-boy group gained the nickname of “trend-leading idols” by ranking top two weeks in a row on music shows in a year when it came out with its new album Be Mine.
Since it made a successful debut with
“Come Back Again” in June 2010, Infinite has shown steady growth,
gradually expanding its fan base.
Infinite has displayed restrained group
performances and trendy music almost entirely excluding electronic
sounds but smartly making use of distinctive guitar sounds. Since then,
“She’s Back,” “BTD,” “Nothing’s Over,” and “Can’t You Smile” have
followed with huge success. The group has tried to cover such various
music genres as pop, hip-hop, and acoustic music.
Rather than frequently appearing on
variety shows, they took a different strategy of focusing on honing
their music abilities. They have survived the fierce competition with
other ‘idol’ groups. What’s more, Infinite is not a group well trained
and supported by a giant agency.
JYJ
JYJ is a group that clearly shows how powerful and supportive fans can be. From the outset, JYJ has hardly carried out any activities on TV, but they have climbed to the top position on music-download sites with “Get Out” from their first Korean album, In Heaven.
The album gained explosive popularity,
selling 300,000 advance copies. The online site responsible for selling
the album was temporarily shut down because the site got swamped with
visitors who wanted to order the album.
By Choi Na Young (nyc@osen.co.kr)
Source: Osen (Original article in Korean)
Photo from Osen
Translated by Geum Jae / Korea.com
